Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane has placed the blame for an increase in the living costs of South Africans squarely with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and President Cyril Ramaphosa.

On Wednesday, fuel prices rose by between 82 and 85 cents per litre to new record high levels. These increases will not only hit motorists and taxi commuters hard, but is likely to be felt by consumers as producers pass the increased cost of transport onto them.

Maimane visited the Noord taxi rank in Johannesburg on Wednesday to chat with commuters and taxi drivers about the effects of the increase in fuel prices.

Briefly.co.za gathered that Maimane blamed the ANC government for allowing the fuel price to reach record highs.

The DA leader disagreed with experts who said the increase was mostly due to increased costs of crude oil and a weak local currency. Maimane instead claims the government was using the increases to bankroll the failed e-toll system.

He said: “The state committed itself to this e-toll project, now they have to pay it back and the only other way they can do it is to increase the taxation.”

On Tuesday, Briefly.co.za reported that out of the R15.54 South Africans pay per litre of petrol R5.30 is made up of government-mandated taxes and levies. The government generates around R85 billion per annum through these extra costs.

Maimane said the cost of living would skyrocket in the coming months due to the increased price of fuel. He said this increase would inevitably lead to an increase in food costs and would also force commuters to pay more just to get to work.

EWN.co.za reported that Maimane vowed to not only fight the fuel price in Parliament, but said the DA would mobilise everyday South Africans to protest these increases.

He said the DA had a plan to combat the issue, but he did not elaborate on the details of this plan.

Maimane was grilled by some members of the public who questioned how the DA could now claim to be concerned about the cost of living after the party voted against the introduction of the new national minimum wage.